Wal-Mart offers early preview of Black Friday deals

By IBT Staff Reporter11/04/11 AT 5:40 PM

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is expected to report FY 2014 second-quarter EPS of $1.25 on revenue of $118.74 billion, compared with EPS of $1.18 on revenue of $114.30 billion in the year-ago period.

Photo: Reuters

Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Wednesday it will soon give fans a sneak peek at its Black Friday deals and will hold a sale this Saturday, as the world's largest retailer and other U.S. chains make an early effort to win over fickle shoppers this holiday season.

The Wal-Mart U.S. sale on Saturday includes discounts on televisions, Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360 and other items.

One of the featured items is Barnes & Noble Inc's Nook Color e-reader priced at $199 versus the usual $249. The price cut comes soon before Amazon.com Inc starts selling its new Kindle Fire tablet for $199.

Shoppers who sign up at Walmart.com or the store's Facebook page will be given an early preview of Wal-Mart's Black Friday specials soon, the first time the chain is offering shoppers a sneak peek at the deals for the day after Thanksgiving.

Wal-Mart and other chains are bracing for what could be a tough U.S. winter holiday season, as shoppers remain concerned about the economy, the unemployment rate and higher gasoline and food prices.

Wal-Mart is releasing the Black Friday specials earlier than usual this year so that shoppers who are watching every penny this season can plan ahead, Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising officer, said in a statement.

Chains including Macy's Inc and Target Corp have already announced plans to open their stores at midnight on Thanksgiving night as they seek more shoppers.

Shares of Wal-Mart were up 1.4 percent at $57.02 in late morning trading.